On sports, pop culture, and other important matters, in Philadelphia and beyond.

Thursday, September 03, 2009

Do the Phillies' Bats Realize They Haven't Clinched the Division Yet?

You have to go back a week and a half, to the Mets series, to find the last time the Phillies scored more than four runs in a game. Last night's five-hit effort against the Giants produced a goose egg on the scoreboard and made a loser of J.A. Happ. The young lefty pitched out of trouble early but yielded consecutive homers in the sixth, providing San Francisco with a cushion it wouldn't need.

The Phils go through these punchless stretches from time to time, so I wouldn't worry that it will last. And the timing could be a lot worse, with the Braves and Marlins a comfortable distance back, giving Philadelphia some time to figure it out. I wouldn't wait too long, though; as the last couple of years have shown, strange things can happen in September. Whatever hitting magic Uncle Cholly has stashed up his leave, now is the time to dazzle us--and his struggling batters--with it. | PRS